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Description

Great old, over looked route! This route provides an alternative way of achieving the summit to Rooster Comb with great airy, alpine style climbing. Each pitch is varied and unique. The belays are all comfortable with good stances.

Pitch 1 5.4 G Climb the broken corner to the roof, traversing right passing a pin to a small ledge on a corner. (Option: Belay here to avoid rope drag) Continue up arete, climbing crack to a pin (crux) and finish on large ledge with right leaning crack to build a gear anchor. Large gear could prove to be helpful moving up to the pin. (90 ft)

Pitch 3 4th class traverse, moving around corner to tree. Belay using the crack system and/or the tree. Great airy position. (160 ft)

Pitch 4 5.2 G Climb corner ramp to the summit. (120 ft) Variations include climbing the crack system to the top in right headwall (5.5)

Location

Start by taking the standard hiking trail. Walk for approx 1.5 hours until reaching a set steps made out of logs. Head left and down the hill keeping the cliff on your right. Easier bushwacking done in early spring. To decend, walk back down hiking trail.

5 Comments

Pitch 1 has a very non-5.4 move right off the ground. There were two other tricky bits that went at 5.4 or so once I realized how to approach them - so perhaps there's a similar clever way to get up the first bit as well. Overall, the first two pitches have some grovelly, non-straightforward climbing, but are interesting with excellent rock quality.

The traverse is barely 4th class, but it's exposed pure friction and I left the rope on. Same with the final pitch - there's only one real 5th-class move, but the position and summit finish are great! I suspect many parties would be happier simul-climbing or soloing the last two pitches, especially if they find the first two easy. Rock quality is again superb.
Jul 24, 2017

Agree with comments above about p1. 5.5 or 5.6 seems reasonable. We did it in 3 pitches, my half of our group climbing a crack from the belay tree atop p2 (at about 5.5) rather than the 4th class traverse on the ledge. The other rope team linked p3/4 as described above into one pitch.

We left our extra approach gear at the base intending to rap off, which the guidebook indicates can be done with a short downclimb. The slung trees at the end of the downclimb are looking pretty spindly, however, so we reversed the p3 traverse and rapped off the p2 belay tree. Definitely recommend gearing up and leaving any extra gear just off the trail before the bushwhack, that would have saved about an hour off our descent.
May 25, 2015

I first did this when I started climbing 15 years ago. Did not lead crux pitches then. Absolutely great route, should be a 5 star classic, but P1 either isn't 5.4 or P2 isn't 5.4. Assuming P2 is 5.4, then P1 is 5.5 to 5.6, signifcantly more sustained, dirty/wet and strenous. While falls were safe (and unlikely), and gear was plentiful below the corner, placing gear in the corner ramp while laybacking was impossible since it was at your ankles and out of sight (PG). I had to essentially wedge myself into the corner and squirm up it. My second did the same to clean. Alternate option is to layback run out the corner to the pin (about 70 years old, maybe it holds) and then the climbing is done above the pin. The rest of the route is straight forward and spectacular. Feels like an alpine adventure the way it wanders and finishes on a summit. The V2 crack is steep, question the 5.5 rating looking at it, but didn't climb it as it was wet.

Pro: Standard rack. it will take anything. I used hexes, cams, tricams and nuts on almost every pitch or at the belays. I recommend screamers, especially for the pin at the top of P1. Double ropes helpful to reduce rope drag on this wandering route.
Jun 5, 2014